Heal
by Anawey
Summary: In which Zuko comes up with a plan to catch the Avatar, but ends up with a cold, and Katara as bait in a cell in the hold of the ship. After his cold only starts getting worse, Iroh decides it's time to put Zuko's stubborn pride on the back burner, and in


Heal

In which Zuko comes up with a plan to catch the Avatar, but ends up with a cold, and Katara as bait in a cell in the hold of the ship. After his cold only starts getting worse, Iroh decides it's time to put Zuko's stubborn pride on the back burner, and intervene for his nephew's sake, convincing the water tribe girl to try and care for the arrogant young prince. Will love bloom? A better question; can they even stop hating each other?

Disclaimer; Avatar's not mine.

The Plan  
XxX

To say that Zuko was bored would be an understatement. A _vast _understatement. Right now, even something as annoying as playing the sungi horn would be better than sitting in his room, staring at the wall. The ship had run out of fuel three days ago. He wasn't sure _how, _he'd made certain they had enough at the last port. _I guess I was wrong, _he thought, sighing. They'd sent out a messenger hawk the other day, and hopefully, they'd be getting some help sometime soon. Or the hawk could be found by an enemy ship, and they'd be slaughtered in their sleep.

Zuko shook himself. _That _was a disturbing image. The door creaked open, and he jumped, standing swiftly. Iroh poked his head in and looked at his nephew, taking in his wide eyes, and unbalanced stance.

_Three, two -_

Zuko suddenly wavered, his arms pinwheeling as he tried to catch himself, but only ended up falling back onto his bed.

- _one. _

Iroh grinned slightly.

"I'm nothing to be scared of, Nephew," he teased, pretending to be a bit confused.

"I wasn't scared, Uncle!" Zuko snapped defensively, the slightest tinge of an embarrassed blush coloring his cheeks. Iroh's smirk only widened. Zuko's gold eyes flashed, narrowing into an annoyed scowl.

"If you say so, Prince Zuko," Iroh patronized jokingly. Steam puffed from Zuko's flaring nostrils. Agni, but Iroh was _infuriating._

"Any sign of a ship?" Zuko asked. Iroh turned back toward Zuko.

"Not yet," he said, suddenly looking nervous. Zuko's temper was not something he wanted to be on the receiving end of again. The banished prince huffed in annoyance.

"Three damn days," he growled, stalking past Iroh, out the door, and up the stairs to the main deck.

Iroh sighed and followed him. _At least he's not obsessing about the Avatar right now._

"We _need _to get this ship moving again. We _have _to catch the Avatar."

_Spoke to soon, _Iroh thought sadly.

-

-

A few hours later, another ship was spotted. It was a Fire Nation vessel, hopefully with extra fuel to share.

Zuko's mood - near happy for the first time in about three years - shattered the minute he saw the commander with his large sideburns and superior, smug smirk.

"What do you want, Zhao?" Zuko demanded flatly, glaring at the older man.

"We received a messenger hawk, saying that the banished prince needed fuel," Zhao explained, gloating as he read the 'why me' look on Zuko's face. "Men," Zhao called over his shoulder. "Unload the extra fuel and transport it to the prince's ship."

Zuko snorted a puff of smoke angrily.

"You've done your self-aggrandizing good deed," he snarled. "Now you can go."

"I intend to, Prince Zuko, believe me," Zhao replied, leaning in to close the distance between them and dropping his voice to a whisper. "You'll never catch him," the commander hissed. "You're too one-track, and too careless."

Zuko growled in anger and hatred.

"Get off my ship!" the teen roared, eyes narrowed to tiny slits, his hands fisted so tightly that the knuckles were nearly snow white. Iroh reached out to put a gentle hand on his nephew's shoulders, but even before he made contact, Zuko spun around, shooting him a scathing glare and storming off to his room.

Zuko screamed in frustration, and slammed his fist into the wall.

"Damn him," Zuko snarled. "He only came out here to gloat." Storming across the room to his bed, he dropped down, and roughly tore through the contents for the folding meditation table stored there. "Not again," the prince grumbled, yanking the table out with more force than necessary. He tugged it open sharply, slamming it down by the window. "Thinks he's so much better than me." Stalking to his desk, he ripped the drawer out, snatching four white candles out, and going back to the meditation table, where he slammed them into place, and dropped into a stiff meditation position. After a while of breathing in and out, Zuko's posture began to relax.

For the first time in a long time, Zuko allowed his mind to wander off track. Away from his breathing, and controlling the flames. It wandered toward Zhao, and instantly, the prince stiffened, remembering his past with the man, and _why _he wanted him out of his way.

Shaking his head to banish unpleasant memories, Zuko tried to turn his thoughts back to sensing the heat of the candles, and willing them to rise and fall with his own breathing. But again, his mind wavered, straying toward things he'd heard, and the Avatar.

_Too one-track..._

_Too careless..._

There had to be some way to capture that damn Avatar. Maybe clearing his mind of all the distractions would help him to focus. _The ship running out of fuel, being stuck in one place for THREE DAYS, that infernal bird bringing Zhao to my ship. _Zuko let go of all the troubling thoughts of the day as he breathed out.

Zuko went over in his mind every plan he'd ever employed. He always just rushed into things, never considering the Avatar's friends. Maybe if he planned extensively every element of his own attack, fleshed out his guesses as to where the Avatar's friends would be -

_We don't have a single lead on the Avatar._

Zuko cursed violently. Just then, a tentative knock sounded on the door. Zuko bolted up, daring to hope that maybe the ironic timing meant something important.

Slowly, he pulled open the door, calm on the outside, chaffing at the bit inside.

"Sir," the soldier said, "The Avatar has been sighted on an island about a league north - "

"Tell the helmsman to head due north until we reach that island," Zuko ordered, turning back into his room, and allowing himself a slight smile.

-

Hours later, Zuko sat in his room, going over his plan again and again. Rather than simply rushing in, attacking anyone in his way, he'd bide his time, wait, have his men surround the Avatar's camp, and at night, he'd sneak down in and grab that little twit. Then he'd go home. And finally, his father would care. Ozai would be proud of him, claim him as his son once more, maybe even give him an encouraging smile, and -

_Yeah, that's a tad on the imaginative side, _he thought, almost ruefully.

His plan would be perfect. He'd finally do what couldn't be done for a hundred years. He would capture the Avatar, and the Fire Nation would win.

XxX  
yep, another story. Oh, the whole reference to Zuko having a past with Zhao, trust me, it's not what you guys would expect. That will all come into play in my other story I'm working on about Zuko's childhood. Anyway, review, please!


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